Distributor for grading machines



July-18,1933. i JOHNSON 1,9 8,398

D ISTRIBUTOR FOR GRADING MACHINES Filed June '7, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Wi/Ll R Johnson into the grading slots of a grader of considerforming the grading slots '4. The upper 51112 2P troughs or openings may be used, sothat a b tto f hi Slots 4; r i i which case the grader Wouldnot workto best Wardly from the Sides of the framl the:

. 9?; shown in my co-pending application for pat- 14.5 In the drawings similar characters of reff m a pl r i y f r n v r l ng y 9 l Fig. 3 is an end view of the distributor at while the peaks of the ridges are transversely; 100

Patented July 18,; 1933 r I l V WILL R. JOHNSON, or. s'rocx'ron, CALIFORNLILYASVSVIGNOR l'ro magician-cusse COMPANY, or SAN JOSE, ceuronumn coaronarron 1 ms'rnmu'roa F03 GRADING m m-E's Application filed June 7; 1930. Serial m5. asa'es's. j

" This invention relates to grading machines its discharge end, and taken as ifithe distribi by means of which products of various kinds utor weredisposed in ahorizontal plane; are graded and segregated according to size, a Referring now* more particularly to the and particularly relates to a means for incharacters'of reference on the drawings, the itially delivering such produce onto the gradgrader herein shown and to which the disl er from a source of supply or from an inspectributor is attached, is of that type" shown 'tion table or other mechanism used in a prein said copending application for patent, ceding'operation. V and includes a frame 1 set ona downward Th 1 -i cipal object of my invention is to slope and mounted for longitudinal shak-s 1-0 provide a distributor for the purpose so aI ing movement on railsi2 which form the main .9 ranged that-matter delivered thereon at one u o t. f th ti c v end from a relatively narrow conveyor or M t di they-frame 1 a a pluralitywof chute, will be automatically spread out and longitudinally extending pairs of-- rollers 3,-' discharged with practically equ l V l the space between the rollers of each pair' ably greater width tllilIhSElld conveyor 01 faces of the adjacent rollers ofadja'cent pairs chute By means of this arrangemen 3 V are covered by inverted V-sha'ped member-s gr-ading machine having a relatively gre 5, which with the corresponding rollers number f transversely spaced gradlng form substantially V-shaped troughs (ii 'tlie large volume ofmatter may be graded at Myimpmved distributor whi 'h one operation and without the ob ectionable ved n Connection h this graderomprisevsa faatllre 0i havlng cert-am Ones Ofihe gradlng supporting frame which consists essentially troughs over-fullj and others starved, 1n of bars 7 secured and projecting .7 y

advantage,as will be evident. Ihave particularly in mind to use this distributorin connection with the grading of asparagus and in connection with the grader upper end of the grader, so as to move or shake with said grader and being disposed at the same slope as the grader. At its forward -end this frame is preferably supported a. so

cut, Serial No. 458,069 filed May 31,1930. It 28 d g 9 rl 9 hlf h unte will be evident however from the accompany- 0 b l' lC F LPI' JQCt from and ing description thatits use is not limited to are pp -e by the Falls 2- Slde p at s 1 this purpose nor to association with the par areesecllred t0 d elite/11d o g h b rs @9 ticular grading machine, 7 V V 611d to end of the same, and said bars c n- A further object of the invention is to proverge toward each other from the framegl,

duce a simple and inexpensive device, and yet 5 h h slde Pla 16 8180 d spo ed 11 one which will be exceedingly effective for the Converging f q L 1 1 purpose for which it is designed. i 7 At t i w ee d h s rl t r These objects I accomplish by means f frame is a distributor platform 12-extending,;- such structure and relative'arrangement of between the plates 11 in ovelfllflngingjand parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the r ati n to theadj acent ends. of the followi g S ification and clai brader members5a This platform is bent to v erence indicate corresponding parts in the extending ridges and troughs 13 arranged .in'a several views: a alternate relation; thetroughslbeing dis- Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the distributor. posed. in transverse and substantially longi- FigQisa longitudinal section of the same. tudinal alinementwith' the grader troughs 6, i

another platform 14, disposed on a somewhat higher 'levelthan said platform 12 and also extending the full distance between the side plates 11. This platform is also bent to form a number of transverse longitudinally extending ridges and troughs 15 arranged in alternating relation; the bottom of these troughs transversely alining with the peaks ofthe ridges of the platform 12, and the peaks of said. platform 14 transversely alining with the bottoms of the troughs 13.

Ahead of the-platform 14 and overhanging the adjacent endof the same somewhat is still another platform .16, disposedon a somewhat higher level than said platform and extending between the side platesill. This platform is likewise bent in the form of a number of transverse longitudinally extending ridges and troughs 17 arranged in alter natingrelati'onyt'o each other; the bottoms of these troughstransversely alining with the peaks of the ridges of the platform 14 and thepeaks of said platform 16 transversely ,alining with the bottoms of the troughs 15 ofthe, platform 14. Upstanding pins 18 project from; the peakslof the ridges of all the platforms adjacent their rear ends.

-Forwardly of the'platform 16 and on a h gher level ;1s another platform 19 which 16 and extends to thefront end of the plates At ts forward end this platform is flat but toward and .toits. rear end it gradually assumes a transverse convex curvature, as shown at 20. I

PrO ecting upwardly from the convexly curved port on of this platform near its rear end is a centrally disposed deflector 21. The

matterto be graded is disposed onto the forendvof the platform 19 by means of a conveyor 22or any other suitable device. It will thus be seenthat thesupporting surfaces of the distributor are arranged as aseries ofst'eps of gradually increasing width from front to rear. The matter to be graded, discharged -LOIito. the platform 19 as stated, {travelsdo'wn said platformpartly by grav- 1ty on account of the slope at which the distributor is set and partly by the shaking action. When the matter reaches the curved portion o f's'aid' platform it is naturally deflected toward the-sides both on account of said curvature and by reason of the deflector 2 1. The g-curvature is such that all the troughs 17, which the platform 19 overhangs, ceive substantially-;'equal amounts of the matter dropping off said platform. The mat- -ter thenimoves down the. troughs which overhang and are centrally disposed between troughs 13 being actually alined with the grader troughs all'the troughs of the latter receive equal quantities of the matter to be cleared.

Since the number of steps and the number oftroughs and ridges in each step, may be increased almostindefinitely without in'-*- creasing the width of the distributor at its I feed-in or receiving end, it will be seen that a very wide grader may be effectively used,

with the assurance that all. the grader troughs will receive substantially equal quantities of the matter being graded.

. From the foregoingdescription it will be readily seen that I have produced such device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention, as set forth herein.

. While this specification sets forthin detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the v invention, as defined by the appended claims. 7 overhangs the adjacent end of the platform Having thus described my invent-ion what, I claim as new anduseful and desire to secure by Letters Patentis:

1. A material distributor for graders comprising a series of distributor elements arranged in steps rising in a direction longitudinally of thegrader, each step being corrugated "and-each step being longer than the preceding step, the ridges and grooves of the corrugations of one step being in'a different transverse plane than those of adjacent steps. I I 2. A material distributor for graders comprising a series of distributor elements .ar-' ranged insteps rising in a directionzlongitudinally ofthe grader, each step being corrugated and'each step being longerth'an the preceding step, the ridges of the corrugations of one stop being in substantial longitudinal alinement with the grooves of adj acent'steps. 120

8. A material distributor for graders comprising a'series of distributor elements arrangedin steps rising in a direction longitudinally of the-grader, each step being corrugated and each step being longer than its preceding step and upstanding pinsi at the rear ends ofthe ridges of corrugations of eachstep, 7

WILL R. JOHNSQNQ, 

